Corruption in India is the so called consequence of the nexus between Bureaucracy, politics and criminals. India around the world is now no longer considered a soft state. It has now become a state where everything is being done for a consideration. Today, the number of ministers who have an honest image can be counted on fingers. Once upon a time, bribe was paid for getting the wrong things done but now it has become a common practice that bribe is paid for getting the right things done at the right time.

It is really not easy to define corruption. When we think in a narrow sense, corruption is mostly concerned with 'bribery' and it takes several forms. Corruption is mostly a global phenomenon and it is omnipresent. Corruption has now very much progressively increased and is now rampant in our Indian society. However when we see corruption in a broader sense it is not restricted to financial irregularities. Moral fraud like abuse of religion, language, ethnicity, kinship, privilege and position also come under this rubric. Moral corruption is universal but it poses a threat when it is accepted as a norm at the top of an institution hierarchy and within institutions and populations.

Indian administration is tainted with scandals. India is among 106 Countries stands on the 55th position where corruption is very much rampant, according to the Corruption Perception Index 2004 Report released by Transparency International India. Corruption in India had lead to promotion not prison. It is very difficult to catch big sharks of the society who are spreading corruption. Corruption in India if we say has wings not wheels. As the nation grows, the corrupt also grow to invent new methods of cheating the government and public. Misappropriate utilization of funds and acquisition of ill-gotten wealth are clearly illegal.

However, subtler forms of non-material corruption have been equally prevalent but not a concern for debate. Recent research confirms Lord Acton's dictum that is the most of the power corrupts. The evidence suggests that people who believe that they deserve their power and more position are morally pliable and more prone to abuse their privilege. Studies have documented that power and hypocrisy usually go hand in hand as the powerful feel a sense of entitlement and even their sense of privilege becomes private law. Corruption and hypocrisy are the price the government pays for being led by the privileged.

Even honest individuals may unquestionably accept their position mostly for the consequent power without realizing its impact on their functioning. An individual's intelligence, diligence, strategic planning and hard work to reach the higher echelons of their organization may propel them to believe that their position and privilege are well deserved. Such feelings may result in double standards and consequent hypocrisy.

Causes of corruption

The causes of corruption are many and complex. Following are some of the causes of corruption.

Emergence of political elite who are more in favour of interest-oriented rather than nation-oriented programmes and policies.

Change in the value system and ethical qualities of men who administer.

Tolerance of people towards corruption, complete lack of intense public outcry and the absence of strong public forum which allows corruption to reign over people.

Population coupled with widespread illiteracy and even the poor economic infrastructure lead to endemic corruption in public life.

Artificial scarcity which is being created by the people with malevolent intentions wreck the fabric of the economy.

Corruption is caused as well as increased because of the change in the value system and ethical qualities of men who administer. The old ideals of morality, service and honesty are regarded as an achronistic in modern days.

In this highly inflationary economy, the low salaries of government officials compel them to resort to the road of corruption. Graduates from IIM's who have no experience draw a far handsome salary than what government secretaries draw after several years of experience.

Complex laws and procedures are the ones which usually alienate common people to ask for any help from the government. Election time is mostly time when corruption is at its peak level. Big industrialist are the ones who fund politicians to meet high cost of election and ultimately to seek personal favour. Bribery for the politicians mainly buys influence, and bribery by politicians buys votes. In order to get elected, politician's easy way is to bribe the poor illiterate people, who are slogging for two times meal.

Measures to combat corruption

The main focus should be on power and highlight the abuse of privilege. There is need to examine ourselves as individuals to identify, minimize and eliminate double standards and hypocrisy. There is an immediate requirement of Foolproof laws so that there is no room for discretion for politicians and bureaucrats. The role of the politician should be minimized among the public. More and more courts should be opened for speedy and inexpensive justice so that cases don't linger in courts for years and justice is delivered on time.

Corruption is a cancer, which every Indian must strive to cure. Many new leaders when they come into power declare their determination to eradicate corruption but soon they themselves become corrupt and start amassing huge wealth as time drags on. There are many myths about corruption, which have to be exploded if we really want to combat it. Some of these myths are: Corruption is a way of life and nothing can be done about it. Only people from underdeveloped or developing countries are prone to corruption. We will have to guard against all these crude fallacies while planning measures to fight corruption. Foolproof laws should be made so that there is no room for discretion for politicians and bureaucrats. The role of the politician should be minimized. Application of the evolved policies should be left in the hands of independent commission or authority in each area of public interest. Decision of the commission or authority should be challengeable only in the courts. Cooperation of the people has to be obtained for successfully containing corruption. People should have a right to recall the elected representatives if they see them becoming indifferent to the electorate.

Funding of elections is at the core of political corruption. Electoral reforms are crucial in this regard. Several reforms like: State funding of election expenses for candidates; strict enforcement of statutory requirements like holding in-party elections, making political parties get their accounts audited regularly and filing income-tax returns; denying persons with criminal records a chance to contest elections, should be brought in. Responsiveness, accountability and mostly transparency are a must for a clean system. Bureaucracy, the backbone of good governance, should be made more citizen friendly, accountable, ethical and transparent. Local bodies, independent of the government, like Lokpals, Lokadalats, CVCs and Vigilance Commissions should be formed to provide speedy justice with low expenses. Right to Information should be introduced, which will empower the citizens to ask for the information they want. Barring some confidential information, which involves national and international security, other information should be made available to the general public as and when required. Stringent actions against corrupt officials will certainly have a deterrent impact.

Conclusion

Corruption is an intractable problem. It is like diabetes, can only be controlled, but not totally eliminated. It may not be possible to root out corruption completely at all levels but it is possible to contain it within tolerable limits. Honest and dedicated persons in public life, control over electoral expenses could be the most important prescriptions to combat corruption. Corruption has a corrosive impact on our economy. It worsens our image in the international market and leads to loss of overseas opportunities. Corruption is a global problem that all countries of the world have to confront, solutions, however, can only be home grown. We have tolerated corruption for so long. The time has now come to root it out from its roots.

Disclaimer:
This web page explains the corruptions that occured in India. The information are collected from the media reports. www.indianmirror.com or it owners do not take any responsibility for the authenticity of the contents. Since some cases are in the court of law, we do not endorse any cases or do not conclude on the same.
If you need any changes to be done on the above information, kindly contact us with valid proof. However sincere attempt is being made to create awareness in the society against this evil and to prepare the younger generation for a corruption free India.